I Love Being a Bad Guy
by Jins Lil Whirlwind
Summary: Kuronue and Yoko wreaking havoc on bounty hunters in their younger days. Kind of a prequel to Return of the Bat, but not really. NONYAOI NOW A TWOSHOT! HOW YOKO MET KURO AND LATER YOMI!
1. Chapter 1

**This is from an idea I got while writing _Return of the Bat_. You can call it a prequel if you want. There was a part of chapter eight where I mentioned this and the readers said they enjoyed hearing stories about Yoko and Kuro in their younger days, so here is the full story! If this gets a lot of reviews, it may turn into a two-shot, but for now, this is it. NON-YAOI! Nothing personal to those who like it, I just can't write them.  
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**I own nothing. Enjoy! **

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"Damn it." 

"What _now_?" Yoko asked, not bothering to roll over. He was sprawled out on a mattress of thick leaves, _trying _to get some sleep before morning came, but that damned bat would _not _shut up.

"I still can't believe it wasn't there."

"You've been in disbelief since noon. It's nearly three o'clock in the morning. I think you're a little past time for denial."

"It should have been there. We've tried everywhere else it could have been."

"Really, Kuro? _Every_where?"

"You know what I mean!"

"I know I'm going to _GET mean_ if you don't shut up and go to sleep."

"How am I supposed to sleep? We've been looking for that fortress for almost a year! Now we're out in the middle of nowhere with nothing to show for it!"

"Then simply shut up so _I _can sleep."

"Unsympathizing, heartless bastard."

"Goodnight, Kuro... for the eighteenth time..."

"Whatever."

The bat gave in. Yoko wasn't going to listen to him any more tonight. He got off the rock he'd been sitting on, ducking his head so as not to hit it on the cave's low ceiling, and crawled into his own "bed" of leaves. He laid there quite a while before he dozed off.

The next thing Kuronue knew, he heard two familiar voices a little distance away. One was Yoko's. The other, he suspected to belong to Ko, a fellow thief. He opened his eyes, then squinted them, holding his hand up to block the light flooding into the shallow cave.

He got up, and dragged himself to the entrance, muttering choice words at the sun.

"You look like something the cat drug in," the red spirit fox said.

"What the hell do _you _want? And if it's another ass-kicking, come back at noon. I don't feel like it yet."

"Kuro, it's nearly two o'clock in the_ after_noon," Yoko said.

"Damn. Then _you _kick his ass this time."

"I don't recall _either _of you _ever _kicking my ass. The last round with Yoko was a _draw_. And that's not what I came for anyway," Ko said.

Kuro looked at Yoko, waiting for an explanation.

"He was just telling me that our problems might be solved."

"Someone invented a pill that cures women of ugly?"

"I wish," Ko mumbled.

"There is a thief hiding in the woods on the outskirts of Ruto village. The word is that he found the map that leads to our fortress, and he's looking to sell."

"Guild member?" he asked. Both foxes smiled their trademark mischievous grins. "In other words, he's going to leave it to us on his deathbed," he said, joining in on the evil looks. Members of the Thieves Guild weren't allowed to harm other members, but since this guy wasn't one, he was fair game. "But wait, why are you telling _us_?"

"I've got no use for it. There's another little adventure for me south of the guild. I'll let you two have this one, as long as you don't forget the favor later," Ko replied.

"That works," Kuro said. He could read Yoko's face well enough. Whatever deal Ko had in mind was already discussed before he got out of bed, but if Yoko was fine with it, so was he. Especially since he didn't feel like talking to Ko all day to throw in his two cents.

"Well, I'm off. I don't wanna stay in one place too long with those damn Vigilante pricks running around."

"Vigilante? Don't tell me they're back in town!" Kuro said.

"Yes," Yoko said. "Apparently a large group of them. They're apprehending every crook who's stolen so much as a slice of bread in the last decade."

"Yippee." Kuro was not enthused by this. He'd had his fair share of run-ins with this particular group of bounty hunters, both before and after he teamed up with Yoko. If they got wind of them being around, there was going to be trouble...

They bade Ko farewell, then gathered their belongings. They were soon on the trail that led back to Ruto. Along the way, they encountered other thieves, all guild members, who warned them of the bounty hunters.

They had snatched up at least ten other guild members this week alone. That was bad enough. If one member of the guild got caught, it looked bad against all the rest. But there was more news, even more insulting. Those guild members had just pulled heists. They'd all been carrying quite a load of treasure when they were caught. What did the hunters plan to do with that treasure? Spend it on more weapons; weapons to kill the other thieves. That was a slap in the face to all the guild.

While Yoko, a master of stoic logic, didn't let this get to him, Kuro was fuming. He was taking all this as a personal insult. Something _had _to be done about these bastards.

They stopped in at the guild on their way up north. It was a safe haven for thieves. They could sleep in peace there, since no law-man in his right mind would come within twenty miles of the place. It didn't hurt that there was liquor and few dozen easy women there either.

They went up to The Loft; one of two taverns in the guild. The Cellar was the other. They were named appropriately. The Loft was for the higher ranking thieves, while The Cellar was for the common pick-pocketers and horse thieves.

Not long after they arrived, they were swarmed by women; nothing unusual with their reputations. Kuro excused himself from the fun for a few minutes to talk to the barkeeper; the man who heard every bit of dirt about everything and everyone illegal.

"Goodta see ya 'round these parts again! Sad to see the lassies saw ya, too, though!" the big man laughed as he poured Kuronue a beer. Judging by the glazed over look in all six of his eyes, the man had drank quite a few of those tonight, himself. "Been awfully quiet in this necka the woods without ya."

"Yeah, but we didn't just come to swill ales and tell tales this time around. Just passin' through."

"On yer way to?"

"Ruto. What have you heard about a map for sale?"

"Ruto's a bad place to be headin' t'wards. Them damn Vigilantes already got their mitts on the crook yer lookin' fer anyhow."

"Oh, they did?" Kuro asked, his ears perking up.

"Aye. Gottim yesterday, they did. Heard there wouldn'ta reward fer him so they're plannin to tie a noose fer his neck."

_'Saves Yoko and I the trouble...'_ "Heard where they're at right now?"

"They been hangin right around Ruto fer awhiles now. Everybody and his damn brother heard tell o' that map and they all went huntin' fer it. Didn't know 'til it was too late that they was the idjits bein' hunted. Map's worked good fer bait."

"I wonder how they'd like to be on the receiving end of that game."

"Don't go makin' fools' mistakes, lad. Yer above it."

"Course I'm above it. I'm not going to make any mistakes. I'm going to raise Hell the _right _way."

"Fool's errand."

"We'll see."

The big bartender shook his head. He wouldn't admit it, but he didn't doubt the bat. If anyone was capable of turning the most feared group of bounty hunters in all the Demon World into a bunch of jackasses, it was Yoko and Kuronue.

It wasn't long before Kuronue returned to the table where Yoko was. The fox was currently about three sheets to the wind, since the girls around him were not what Kuronue would have deemed beauty queens.

_'Oh, well. Tell him in the morning... I'll have to tell him which ones he spent the night with, too.'_ Kuro grinned to himself. The best part of their trips to the guild had always been what happened when Yoko got beer goggles. This was the only place in Makai that Yoko would let loose and drink his fill. He drank in other places, but here he was completely safe from the law enforcement, and he didn't have to be as cautious as usual. He was still on guard; if someone tried to attack him, he would have been able to take care of it. The women got prettier long before his senses dulled. And Kuronue was always quick to remind him about it the morning after...

Eventually, he'd snagged a few girls of his own, showing them that Yoko was obviously 'booked' for the night. One more trick he'd learned. Let Yoko get plowed first, so the ugly girls could get his attention, then the bat had his choice of the good-looking ones.

_'One of these days he'll catch on... but until then...'_ Kuro stood up and went to his room, three girls hanging off of him.

**The next morning...**

Kuronue sat up in bed. His head felt like there was a mallet on either side of it, pounding continuously against his temples.

"Musta been a good one," he said to himself. The girls were long gone. He grabbed the edge of the bed and dragged the rest of his body to it. When he stood, the pain got worse, and someone kept tilting the room on him. After the shock wore off, or _subsided _anyway, he took a shower and headed to the area in front of the main gates. He knew Yoko would be there... sooner or later...

Yoko arrived within ten minutes. From the way he was squinting, Kuronue knew he wasn't alone in the hangover department.

"Bout time. I've been waiting half the day," Kuro lied, trying to annoy the fox.

"Oh, how horrible for you, standing here waiting, while I frolicked merrily through the guild gathering supplies with an ungodly hangover and the damned sun beaming directly in my eyes no matter what _direction _I _turn_!" he growled.

"That's alright. I forgive you. Just don't let it happen again."

Yoko gave Kuronue a look that would have made King Yama need a change of underwear. The bat merely smiled in response. One of these days he was going to choke the life out of that annoying little-

"Yoooookooooo! Oh, _Yoooookooooo_!"

Both sets of eyes shifted to the window of one of the buildings. An older woman was leaning out, waving to the fox.

"Don't tell me."

"You did," Kuro laughed.

"Dear God."

"Yooookoooo! You're not leaving are you? You could come back up here for a few minutes if you want!"

Kuronue turned to face the gate, so the woman couldn't see him straining to keep from bursting into a fit of laughter. Yoko's wide-eyed expression of horror just made it funnier.

The fox turned his back to the woman, and gave Kuronue a light shove on his shoulder. He mouthed the words "Go. Go. GO!"

As soon as they got past the gates, Kuro let it go, guffawing until he gasped for air. The fox's tail bushed out. He was NOT happy.

"Why didn't you do something?"

"Like what?" Kuronue asked, wiping water away from his eyes.

"You knew!"

"You did it! Not _my _fault!"

Yoko growled. There was no way he was going to win this fight and he knew it. They started walking again, Kuro still chortling.

"So tell me, with teeth or without?" he asked, starting another good laughing fit.

"Shut up," Yoko growled.

"Did she have to roll 'em up to get her bra back on?" he asked, still laughing.

"One more word, Kuronue..."

There was silence, except for the occasional laugh; but it didn't last long...

"Did her wig come off when you grabbed her hair?"

"THAT'S IT!"

They went into a sparring match, which Kuronue lost by a _landslide_. It was kind of hard to fight someone like Yoko while you were laughing...

After a long trip, full of teasing, they got to the mountain region near Ruto. Yoko had been collecting info that morning about the whereabouts of the hunters, and Kuro already knew that they had the map. With all the prisoners they had taken, the hunters had been slowed to a crawl, only getting a couple miles each day. They had to set up camp _every _night, and they were incapable of taking the mountains without running the risk of one of the prisoners escaping, or a group effort by all of them to escape and kill their captors. Aside from that, there was a chance that some of these thieves had partners lurking out there, waiting to attempt a "jailbreak."

They were forced to spend their nights sleeping in the valleys; right out in the open. They thought they were safer that way; that they could see in all directions. It also meant that they could _be seen_ from all directions, but they hadn't taken that part into account...

Yoko and Kuronue observed them from the mountains. They calculated their current speed, and the direction they were headed. They took the road conditions and surroundings into account. How long it would take to set up camp for that many men; where there was enough room to set up the tents; where they could find fresh water.

They determined roughly where they were going to set up, then they took off. They located the area they suspected to be the future camp. They picked a couple of trees that were filled with lush greenery. No one would be able to spot them through the leaves from on the ground, but they could see each other just fine. They'd be communicating through hand signals later, so that would be important. All they had to do now was wait. Both kicked back and relaxed in the foliage, enjoying the peace before the sheep arrived for slaughter...

It didn't take long for the sheep to arrive. They set up camp, just like the bandits had thought they would. The boys watched them from just off the side of the campground, still in their trees. A full moon came out, lighting the area. After a while, the hunters went to their tents, leaving a single guard to watch the area and the prisoners.

'_Give me a break! One guard? They could at least act like they've got some sense! They're supposed to be the best in the biz! I thought I'd get a little bit of a challenge!'_ Kuro thought. He watched Yoko, waiting for the signal. A few minutes later, they were both on the ground, silently stalking their prey.

Kuronue went for the guard. He crept up behind him, and hooked his scythe under his chin. Before the guard knew he was there, his Adam's apple had parted company with the rest of his body.

Yoko had went for the treasure. He pulled back a flap on one of the tents. He'd seen this man carrying the map in a side-pack earlier. Sure enough, there was the side-pack, lying on the floor next to the snoring bounty hunter. Yoko seized it without a sound, then headed back outside to the chests they'd been carrying.

He produced a few seeds from his hair, and some curious-looking creatures evolved from them. They resembled Venus flytraps, but there were leaves on their "backs" that looked a lot like wings. Yoko picked the locks on the chests, then fed the treasure to the plants. When one got full, it flew off. Yoko knew where they were going. He'd planted the female of the species next to the entrance of the cave he and Kuro planned to hide in that night. The males would seek them out, and Yoko and Kuro would be free to "play" here without getting loaded down with the spoils.

After all was loaded up, they left word with the prisoners not to try anything. They would be free, just not _yet_. Yoko smiled at his partner as he spread out a batch of seeds. He sowed them all over the camp. When he was done, _playtime_.

They got to the edge of the camp, then Kuronue threw his scythes at the tents. As soon as one hit, he summoned it back to his hand and hurled it at another. It didn't take long for every man in the place to get out of his tent. They saw the bandits and went into hot pursuit, quite a few of them in nothing more than their undies.

"I think I got their attention," Kuro said, grinning from ear-to-ear.

"Imagine that," Yoko replied, giving a sly smile in return. They bolted between the trees, weapons whizzing past them on all sides. They were purposely running slower than usual. They wanted to have a little fun out of this.

An ax sailed past Yoko and took out a poor defenseless chipmunk who was trying scurry back up its tree; not that it would've mattered if he'd made it. An energy blast came by him, and turned the tree into a tall, skinny mound of charcoal.

Kuronue dodged a mace that had been intended to beam him just below the ponytail. He jumped an energy blast and bounced off of a tree branch just in time to miss a hex. He wasn't taking much time to over think the mechanics of the attacks, but he thought that hex was the kind that sealed energy. He zigzagged between a few more trees, missing yet _more _hexes. Some were the kinds that drained energy; he could tell by the withering trees they'd struck, not to mention the mosquitoes that were dropping out of the air with exhaustion after they'd taken hits. These guys were even hitting _gnats_! Kuronue stood six-foot-four and he weighed in at over 220. How were they hitting insects and missing _him_? The crooks they'd captured just _might _have deserved to die if they couldn't best _these _idiots...

Yoko closed his eyes and evaded the artillery fired his way. He heard the sound of rifles, but it didn't bother him. He could sense where the projectiles were going to hit. There were bullets flying, airborne axes, fried furry woodland creatures, soaring spears, swishing swords, and more than a few daggers and knives. He'd let them get near him a few times, if for no other reason than to encourage the men to keep chasing them. Every time they got close enough to make a decisive attack, Yoko weaved in and out of their weapons' paths with some kind of strange balletic grace. Too bad they weren't bright enough to see that they were being baited.

Kuronue was doing the same thing. He'd let them get close, then pull away. The idiots kept firing; the idiots kept _missing_. They were missing the _targets _anyway. They'd hit damn near everything else in the forest...

"Did you know evolution could _reverse_?" he asked Yoko, running alongside him.

"Not until tonight," he laughed.

"With as many weapons as they've used, _primordial ooze _could've at least scratched us by now!"

"I think I heard an owl saying 'give _ME _the damned gun!' a few minutes ago," Yoko joked.

Kuronue laughed as a row of arrows sank into the tree beside him. "Think those things have had time to take root?"

"Probably," Yoko answered.

"Shall we?"

"After you," Yoko responded.

Kuronue leaped into the branches, and started bounding from one to the next, followed closely by the fox. They cranked up to full speed, and within seconds, their pursuers had lost all traces of them.

They went around the mountains, and wound up on a cliff overlooking the camp. They'd beaten the hunters there by at least five minutes. They'd already had time to find comfortable seats for the show.

As soon as the hunters had settled down on the ground to catch their breath, the seeds Yoko had planted sprang to life. Large, carnivorous pods shot out of the earth and devoured _everything _close. They even _tried _to get to the prisoners who were, luckily, still locked in their cell.

The fox and the bat watched it all with sadistic smiles.

"Think that'll teach the bounty hunters to stay off our asses?" Kuronue asked, popping a stolen piece of jerky in his mouth. Not like the owner would need it now... not since he _WAS _jerky...

"I should hope, but then again, the stupidity of men never ceases to amaze me."

"How much did we make?"

"More than we've made in our last three jobs combined."

Kuronue's face lit up with an evil smirk. "Who says crime doesn't pay?"

Yoko leaned back against a rock. "Well, what should we do tomorrow?"

"Who should we do it to, you mean."

"That _does _sound a bit more accurate. There's bound to be some poor fool in need of an executioner."

Kuronue smiled, looking up to the sky. The full moon had now changed colors. Where white light had been, there was now a caul of red to mask it. A sign of a great bloodshed.

"Man, I love being a bad guy."

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**Reviews? Pwease? I think this is the longest single entry I've wrote! **


	2. Yomi and Firewater

**Hiya! I was going to wait until I got done with _Return of the Bat_ to write this (mostly to see if it got more reviews), but I was in the mood for it, so here it is. This is by far the longest chapter I have written, on any story, so I hope it's good. I just sat down and started typing, and a couple hours later, here's the result. Keep the length in mind as you read, because I may have made mistakes in it and not noticed as I was proofing it. I hope you guys like it as much as I liked writing it.  
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**I own nothing. Enjoy!**

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"Do you hear that?" Kuronue asked. His long ears were twitching, straining to hear some far-off noise. 

Yoko's silver ears stood, pointing as sharply as their physical structure would allow, but still he heard nothing; not for the first few seconds anyway. The only noise he could detect was the sound of his creations snapping the bones of their last few morsels. The few men who had survived the slaughter had barely done so. They were clinging madly to the strings of life, trying to keep from losing their grasps, and falling into the ceaseless void of black known as death. They weren't capable of more than rapid breaths and a few sobs and moans of pain, muffled by the blood in their mouths and the dirt they were unable to lift their faces from.

Yoko was about to ask what Kuronue meant; what sound he had heard, but something else got his attention. Something metal; a scraping sound. It was hard to tell, with all the other noises, but it sounded as if someone was trying to pick a lock.

The cell door.

The other thieves must have been trying to escape the confines of that rolling jail the bounty hunters had been using to transport them in. Then there was another sound. Like wheels rolling against the dirt and crushing the dead leaves. He looked down at the cell, straining his keen eyes. There had been large rocks positioned on both sides of the wheels that were attached to portable-prison, to keep the cons from rolling away in the middle of the night. The rocks were beside it now. Someone had figured out how to move them from the inside. The men were heave-hoeing all their weight to the back of the cell, making it roll away from his 'final solutions' for the bounty hunters. There was one working on the lock at the front of the cell. Maybe they weren't completely lacking intelligence...

"Do you see what I see?" Yoko asked Kuronue, his lips turning up slightly at the corners to show his amusement.

"Yup. Don't believe it, but I see it."

"Maybe they _aren't_ worthless."

"Whatever you say, fox. They got caught by _those _jackasses, so I'm sticking with my original opinion. We should get going. It won't be long until dawn."

"Let's wait, just for a few more minutes. I want to see what they do."

Kuronue let out a sigh. He was tired, but, _whatever_. He'd let the fox watch the end of his little game. He knew he'd never hear the end of it if he didn't.

The pods finished up with their last bite of bounty hunter, but it didn't look like they were full. One turned its attention to the rolling cell, which, to it, looked like a rolling buffet cart without the waiter. It snapped its jaws a couple of times, the equivalent of licking its lips, then started forcing its stem to stretch, trying to allow itself enough room to reach the snack tray. It didn't take long for the other hungry pods to notice, and they were all quick to catch on to the stretching routine. One managed to wrap a leaf around the corner bar of the cage, good enough to stop it from rolling, but not a good enough grip to pull it back.

"What are we gonna do? I don't wanna die like this! Death by bounty hunter is one thing! Death by _dandelion _is another!" a panicked thief exclaimed to his cell-mates.

"Would you shut up! I've almost got-"** CLICK** "There!" The thief who had been laboriously tending to the lock finally aligned the last of the pins and the tumblers. As soon as the door swung open, he dived out. A leaf shot to grab his leg but he jumped over it, half-flipping in the air and landing on his back, finishing the move in a roll. On his way back to his feet, he snatched a sword from a pile of bloody mess that used to be one of his captors. A pod snapped at him, nearly catching his hand, but the thief was swift. He hit his feet and swung the sword around, then gave quick slices; the first cut the pod in half, and the second separated pod from stem entirely.

The other plants were angered, and all lunged at the black-haired bandit, but it did little good. His skill with a sword outclassed their limited abilities by a country mile. It was only seconds before he had mowed the entire lawn of the camp site.

Kuronue blinked. That's all he could do. "Nobody's _ever _killed that many of those mean-green-mother-"

"First time for everything. That one may have some worth. Let's talk to him; find out if he was one of the guild's men."

The fox and the bat started bounding through the tree-tops, descending from their lookout on the cliff. When they were almost there, they paused to watch a curious scene.

"That was brilliant! Man, you were grea- _Ack_-"

One of the thieves had begun to congratulate the apparent leader of the escape, but was cut short when said leader grabbed him by the throat.

"Where is your crest? You _better _be a guild member," the leader said.

"I- I- I-" the ensnared thief stuttered.

One of the others came to the leaders side and spoke, apparently trying to calm him. "Yomi, let him go. We've all had a long night, let's just let this be and get going."

"Yeah!" a fat thief in the back of the herd called. "Jiri's my partner! You got somethin' to say to _him_, then you got somethin' to say to _me_!"

"Fine," Yomi said, still tightly gripping Jiri's neck. "I'll say this to _both _of you. You're both cowards! And if I don't see a guild crest on your hands, you're both dead men! Cowards who would sit back and watch another man risk his neck and never bother to help, then pat him on his back when the danger has passed, don't deserve to draw breath!"

Yoko and Kuronue smirked in the trees above. Both were enjoying this show. They weren't particularly fond of two-faced men either. This Yomi had led the charge while the two fat thieves sat in the back of the cell. They'd wanted their freedom, but they hadn't been willing to contribute. They would've sat back and let every other man there die if there had been a need. They had most likely been planning to do so, then run for safety when the pods were busy devouring the others; probably piddling their pants on the way.

They grinned even wider when the two tubs-O-guts thieves failed to show crests. The others tried to talk this Yomi character out of doing them harm, but no such luck. He decapitated them both, then licked a string of the fresh blood off his sword. The boys thought that strange, since those plants had been poisonous, but upon closer inspection, they saw that there wasn't a drop of the liquid from those plants on the blade. He had sliced through them so quickly that they hadn't left a trace.

"Very impressive," the fox said aloud from the trees, startling everyone, including Kuronue. He hopped down from his perch and approached the now-free men.

"I thought _you _left," Yomi stated bluntly. Though he was trying to appear nonchalant, there was a hint of defiance in his eyes. Yoko could read the signs of a rebel a mile away.

"Now, now. Did you think we would go through all that trouble to plan the show and not stick around to see the happy ending?" he asked. Kuronue joined him on the ground now, though he stayed slightly behind Yoko. Strategic positioning, though the others wouldn't know that.

These men, at least some of them were guild members, and weren't supposed to do harm to other members, but they outnumbered the duo, and it was pretty easy to get away with murder if you had enough people to tell the same story when they were asked about it. This Yomi had been smart enough to pick a lock that should have been impossible to pick and to instruct the men to distance the cell from the plants, so that he could have room to attack when the door was opened. Surely he was smart enough to say that the team of Yoko and Kuronue attacked the Vigilantes and were killed in the battle, and that he and his men managed to escape during the ruckus.

"I was thinking you'd got away from us before we could demand that you return what's ours," Yomi said.

"What's yours?" Yoko asked, a little amusement showing through.

"Guild members aren't allowed to steal from other members. You stole our treasure. Whether or not any of these men have the spine to ask for theirs, I _DO _want mine!"

The other thieves shrank back. They were terrified of Yoko and Kuronue, and not about to _demand _that they do anything.

"We didn't steal anything from _you_," Yoko said.

"We watched you load up every shilling in those plants of yours and send them flying off to God knows where. I lost my partner raiding that castle! I want the spoils!"

"Then you should have held onto them tighter," Yoko answered.

"What? How dare you! There is honor amongst thieves! Or do you have none?"

"First, if you ever question my honor again, you _will _die, and let me assure you, there are ways of killing you without breaking the code of the guild or my own personal code, though you would probably beg me to break both before the process was finished. All of the ways of which I speak are rather slow, and I imagine they are excruciating. I can't speak from experience, but the screams of those I watched suffer through them indicated that Hell would be more merciful. Second, I didn't steal a thing from you, I stole from the hunters. If you valued your treasure so dearly you should have kept a tighter hold on it. Let that be a lesson to you."

Yomi said nothing, but it was clear from his expression that he wasn't enjoying this little _chat _with the fox. The others had moved back as far as they could without gaining Kuronue's attention. When they noticed him watching them, they decided to stay put and silently pray to disappear.

After a little more bickering about the rules, Yomi admitted that Yoko was right. He wasn't _happy _admitting to it, but he did. Kuronue sensed that Yomi had known it all along, but his pride had forced him to bite back the knowledge that he was in the wrong. He may have been an excellent thief, judging from the castle he said he'd robbed, and the way he handled that escape indicated great thinking capacity, but all that was overshadowed by the immature ways of a young man. If he learned to swallow that pride and cool his temper, he might one day become a good enough thief to compete almost on their level. Key word being: _Almost_.

"Let's see your crest," Kuronue said, speaking for the first time in nearly a half-hour.

Yomi raised his hand and the back began to glow, soon revealing the crest. The other members hands now showed theirs as well. When one man did it, all the other members around did, too. Dangerous if one of them ever turned on the rest or made a deal with the law, but damned if they could get that through the guild master's thick skull...

His crest showed that his rank was well above what they were expecting. They knew he'd earned his right to more than a basic pass, but he was only a few ranks short of them. He may not have been on their level yet, but his days of drinking rot-gut whiskey and flat beer in The Cellar, and sleeping on a lumpy mattress filled with straw were long-over. He was now entitled to some of the guild's finest whiskey, women, and beds to put 'em in.

After a little more talking, everyone agreed that it was time to head for the guild, with the exception of a couple men who were without crests. Kuronue's scythes took care of them. No sense leaving more witnesses than they needed; especially not those who had overheard information concerning the only real safe-house that the criminals of the Demon World had to fall back on. You never know when a man will get desperate to save his own hide, and that had been demonstrated well tonight.

After a couple nights under the stars, the whole gang was back to the gates of the guild. Most went their own ways after entering them. Not that it mattered. Yoko and Kuronue hadn't even bothered to learn most of their names. The ones they _had _learned would be forgotten by morning, with the possible exception of one. Yomi. The others were heading for the barber, or the merchants, or the infirmary. Some were on their way down to The Cellar. But Yomi was headed to the same place as Yoko and Kuronue.

The Loft.

When they arrived, the usual scene: Women flocked to them, the waitress brought over a big pitcher of the house's finest brew, and the barkeep was waving a hand to tell Kuronue to get over here and fill him in. The only new thing was that a couple of the girls had headed to a corner with Yomi. One of them was actually pretty cute in Kuro's book, but he'd have no trouble finding a suitable replacement, and as for the fox, he wouldn't care in a few hours.

Just as Kuronue finished telling the tale, and the gang of thieves finished the final chorus of "For they're two jolly good fellows!", the door opened again, and in walked Ko. There went a few _more_ girls...

He parked his red-tailed rear on a stool beside Kuronue, and got the repeat of the story from the barkeeper, though it was a lot more interesting when it was retold by the big man.

"I don't think we should take full credit for this," Yoko said. "Yomi was there as well, and he was the one to free the other thieves from their cell." Yomi was all aglow at hearing himself being praised by The Great and Mighty Yoko, but he wouldn't have been so thrilled if he knew that Yoko was _outfoxing _him. Yoko was more concerned with his beer and dinner than he was answering questions for the girl serving it. He was sending the attention elsewhere so he could eat and drink in peace...

As Yomi answered questions, Ko and Kuronue compared adventure stories at the bar, and Ko got a good laugh at the poor jackass who didn't know he was taking the heat off the other fox.

"What's that?" Kuronue asked Ko, seeing the little flask he pulled from his tunic.

"South-side's finest homemade bourbon," he said, and he took a big swig. "Stuff could put a sailor on his ass in three shots."

"I've heard tell o' that stuff," the barkeeper said, shaking his head. "Not many men brave enoughta take a flaskfulla that. What's that name they got fer it down south?"

"Don't know what _they _named it, but my people always knew it as _firewater_," Ko laughed, his voice taking on a hoarse quality. "Sets your throat on fire quicker than pure grain."

"Share, fox," Kuronue said. He grinned and flipped a coin Ko's way.

"Your funeral," he said, filling the empty shot glass in front of Kuronue. After that, there were a few more refills, and the rest of the night was kind of a blur for the bat. Little did he know, even if he wouldn't _remember _it tomorrow, he would be _hearing _about it for years to come...

The night finished up at the bar, and Yoko left with his 'picks' for the night, as did Ko and Yomi. Kuronue had a few girls laughing at the bar, and he said he'd be up later on. Yoko was near-sure that those girls would be packing him to bed.

A few hours later, after things had heated up, cooled off, then heated up again, in the fox's room, he heard a commotion out in the hall. Thump, crash, bang, thump again, giggle, boom, laugh, kerthump...

"What in the blue-blazes is going on out there?" Yoko said, clenching his teeth. He did _NOT _like being interrupted. Not at this hour anyway. _'Everyone in the guild should be asleep or passed out by now!'_

He jumped out of bed and pulled his pants on as the girls draped the sheets over themselves. He ran to the door that led out to the hall, and when he looked out, his anger faded, or _disappeared_.

There was Kuronue, a girl under each arm, trying to keep him from falling back down the stairs. A third was walking in front of the gang to make sure there was nothing, and _no one_, in the hall that they could trip over.

That wasn't the part that got to the fox.

Kuronue was wearing his old, brown boots; his pendant was around his neck, as always; his hat was still on his head and a stupid grin on his face; but that was about it. The only other article of clothing on him was the small strip of cloth that held his ponytail together.

"Woohoo! I toldya I'd make it to the toppa them steps!" he shouted. He started laughing, then noticed Yoko standing in the door, surprise still the only thing on his face. "Lookie here, Yoko! I got three of the purdiest girls in the guild to warm me up tonight!"

"Oh, no, mister!" the girl in front said. "I'm just helping you to bed! You've had too much fun for one night!"

"I ain't _never _had too much fun!" he said. She started to back away from him, giggling, then his foot reached the second floor landing. He was back on solid ground! He took off after her in a dead run; a _staggering _one, but it was still a run. Then he turned on the other girls, and they started giggling and running. By this time the sight was nearly more than Yoko could take. He tried to keep stone-cold around the guild, and save his laughing and cutting up with his friend for outside these walls, but this time he _had _to make an exception. He was snickering already.

"Whath so damn funny?" Kuronue slurred out. "I don't like people laughin when I'm down to my skins here!" he said, then resumed to chasing the girls around from one end of the hall to the other. Yoko's girls had come to peek out the door, and as hard as he was trying to keep them from seeing the steely, heartless spirit fox laughing, he was still snickering.

"What in the name of all that is holy is going on out th-" Yomi stopped and his chin dropped.

"Hey, Yomi! How's it hangin'?" Kuronue laughed.

"Not like _THAT_!" he said, then started to close his door, but his girls had gathered around to see the cause of the outburst, too. They were laughing and blocking Yomi's way back in. All he could do was shield his eyes with his hand and blush a shade of red that Yoko wasn't sure he'd ever seen a man's cheeks turn.

"What the fu- Oh, Lord," Ko said, opening his door on the other side of the hall. He covered his eyes and Yoko could see his smile spread to cover the bottom half of his face.

"What's going on, Ko, baby? OH MY GOD!" the girl beside him said.

"Evenin' Ma'am," Kuro said, stopping to stand and face her for a minute when he did. Her eyes looked like they were going to pop out of their sockets.

"Um... Evenin'," she said back, still in shock. That was it for Ko; he hit his ass in the doorway, laughing so hard he couldn't breathe, still covering his eyes with that hand. It was only a matter of seconds before Yoko was doing the same thing right across the hall from him. Yomi was still blushing that maroon-ish shade, which made the foxes bellow out their laughter even harder. Yoko felt tears flowing down his cheeks, but he still couldn't stop. A glance across the hall – he was afraid to glance to the side, knowing what he might be eye-level with – and he could see that Ko's cheeks were glistening with the same moisture as his.

Just when he _thought _he would recover, and maybe get the luxury of _inhaling _again, Kuronue grabbed the girl beside Ko by the wrist and pulled her into the hall for a little do-si-doing, laughing the whole time. The woman looked like she didn't know whether to run or scream or all of the above.

Ko laid back on the floor and started rocking from side to side as he chuckled. He could say in the morning that he had _literally _been rolling on the floor laughing, but that wasn't on his mind at this point. Yoko gave up. They'd all seen him laughing; losing his steely poker face. He might as well have a good time. Ko was back up in a minute, and started stomping and clapping in rhythm as Kuro twirled the girls around the hall. Yoko caught his breath – or at least enough to _function _with – and joined in with Ko. Kuronue wouldn't live this one down and both foxes would_ make sure _of it.

By this time, some of the other doors had opened. Some stood there laughing, some stood and blushed like Yomi, some joined in with the clap-stomp band, and some closed their doors and decided that it was time to give up the bottle after seeing first-hand the evils of the drink. Before it was over, they heard Yomi asking the Heavens above what he'd done to deserve this. "You joined the guild, _genius_!" Ko had responded, still on the floor and laughing. That's where both foxes and a few others stayed until nearly dawn, when Kuro gave up the fight with gravity and fell in the middle of the hall.

Yoko and Ko laughed for a few more minutes, nearly stopped, looked at each other, shook their heads, and started laughing again. They finally stood up, both having to grab their doorknobs and pull up thanks to their aching ribs, and closed their doors. They each knew what the other was thinking. _'If it's up to **me** to pack him to his room like that, he'll still be layin' there when he wakes up...'_

After Yoko finally calmed down, he and the girls laid down together to get some much needed sleep. They were all exhausted, either from the laughing, or the hours of oxygen deprivation that came as a result of it.

Not long after his head hit the pillow, Yoko was standing in an old scene. He was younger; only a boy, not even 10-years-old. He was running from the town he'd been living outside of, trying to make it back to the den he'd claimed. There were men after him.

"Catch that little thief!"

"I want that brat's hands mounted and bronzed!"

"He went that way!"

He could hear them gaining on him. It didn't seem right that a child should have to go through all this for food. By the time he got away from these men, he was going to run off more weight than this single loaf of bread could put back on him.

He panted for breath as the briers and low limbs of the forest scratched his face. He couldn't slow down to avoid them. If he did he would be caught. He thought he was putting some distance between himself and the men chasing him, but he wasn't going to stop to find out. He did spare a glance back over his shoulder though, just to see if they were still on his heels. He didn't see them, and then-

_**BOOM!**_

"OW!" he cried, then clamped his hands over his mouth._ 'What are you thinking stupid! They'll hear you!'_ He couldn't believe he had ran into a tree! He thought he knew this forest better than that! But then he heard the 'tree' groan.

"Ooowwww..."

His eyes widened. _'Trees don't talk!'_ He turned his head slowly, afraid of what he might see.

"What's the big idea?" a boy asked him. A boy about his age!

"Phew," the little fox said, wiping his brow with relief. "Who're you?"

"I think I saw him going this way!" a man called from behind the other boy.

"C'mon, gents! That fox went this way!" another called from behind Yoko.

"They're after me!" both little boys said at the same time, then both sets of eyes widened.

"Whaddaya mean they're after you?" the little winged boy asked Yoko. "They're after _me_!"

They heard the sound of footsteps off in the distance.

"C'mon!" the little fox said, grabbing the other boy by the wrist and hauling him to his feet. They ran until they both thought their hearts were going to burst, but the men were persistent. Yoko couldn't go home to his den with them on his heels. He'd never be safe there again if they knew where it was.

He led the other boy through endless zigzags around the forest, but the men kept coming. Finally, Yoko had an idea.

"We need to get behind 'em! We gotta double-back! That's the only way!" but the grass wasn't tall enough here. Yoko was used to leading his footprints in one direction, then climbing up on a rock or a low-lying branch to go back the way he came. He'd wait in the tall grass or the bushes until his pursuers were past him, following the prints, then he'd run to safety before they knew they'd already passed him. He didn't have the stream to wade through, either. That was on the other side of the forest.

"I got it!" the boy said. He jumped as high as he could, then flapped his little wings, and just managed to grab a branch high-above. He bent his knees over the branch, and hung upside down, reaching out a hand for the little fox. "C'mon! Hurry!" he said in a loud whisper.

The fox had to jump a few times, but he caught the boy's hand just in time to be pulled into the safety of the leaves. The men came, searched the area, then spread out. Yoko sniffed at the air a little while later to see if they were far enough away to relax yet. The little boy snickered at the way his nose twitched, but put a clamp on it when the little fox shot him a glare. When his nose told him that the coast was clear, he and the boy began to talk.

"Who are you?" Yoko asked.

"My name's Kuronue. What's yours?"

"I'm Yoko."

"Nice ta meetcha," Kuronue said, extending a hand which Yoko accepted and shook.

"You, too. So why were they after you?"

"This," Kuronue said, and showed him a little brown bag tied in butcher's twine. He unraveled the knot and showed the fox a few slices of meat that he'd commandeered from the lady coming out of the butcher's shop. "Why was they after you?"

"This," Yoko said, pulling a single loaf of bread out of a small bag he had thrown around his back.

"Well if _that _don't beat all," Kuronue said, smiling wide.

"Huh?"

"You got the bread, and I got the fillers. We can make sammiches! ...if you're willin' to share..." Kuronue looked hopefully to the fox.

"Course! That'll be the best dinner I've had since... Well, I don't exactly know when, but it's been a long time!"

"Yes!" Kuronue exclaimed toward the sky. "I even got this to wash it down with," he said, pulling a bottle out of a little bag he'd been carrying on his own back. "Apple cider. I don't fancy it much, but iss better'n nothin'."

"I LOVE apple cider!" the little fox said. "I thought we'd be stuck drinkin' this." He pulled a bottle from his bag. "Ginger ale. Uck!" he said, sticking out his tongue with disgust.

"Ginger ale? Really? I can't get enough of that stuff!"

"I guess we'll trade then," the little fox said, holding out his bottle to the bat.

"Yeah," Kuronue said, taking the bottle from his hand and placing his own in the fox's other.

"This is kinda funny," the fox said as they set to slicing up the bread with a knife that Kuronue promised had never cut anything but food.

"What?"

"Just that you got what I like, and I swiped what you like, and 'tween the two of us we had the stuff for sandwiches..." The little fox appeared thoughtful for a few minutes. Wasn't this almost like that thing the grown-ups called 'fate'?

The two laughed and chatted over dinner, though the little fox was a lot more careful about talking with his mouth full. They couldn't believe it. The two little orphans were practically neighbors! Kuronue had been living in a cave that was in plain sight of Yoko's den. They'd both been stealing their food, but there were two towns in the area. The days that Yoko had ransacked one, Kuronue had been in the other. That must have been how they'd missed each other.

Kuronue's mother had died a little while back, and none of the rest of his people 'fancied' him much. He'd had to come out here and find a way to live on his own. He showed the little red pendant that she'd given him. He said he'd never taken it off.

Yoko told Kuronue about his own mother, who he didn't remember well. She was a red fox, and so was the fox she had claimed was his father. Claimed until he was born silver, anyway. There were four kits, but he was the only one to survive. Vixens sometimes stay around to help their mothers raise the next litter. They're called helper vixens. His sister, from his mother's last litter had stayed around to help raise the next, and when she'd seen what was going to happen, she'd taken Yoko far away to save him from her father. She'd left him with a group of silver foxes, and she'd probably been killed for saving him, along with his mother and three brothers.

It wasn't long before the silver foxes turned him out, saying that sometimes he was too smart for his own good. Yoko personally thought that their leader was afraid of him. Not afraid of him now, but afraid of what he might grow up to be. Kuronue said that was about what happened with his own kind. He caught on to things quicker than the others, and he was getting strong faster than he should have been. He could see and hear and smell things better, too.

By the time the talk was over, they were almost scared at how much alike they were. And their meeting the way they had hadn't helped it any. They determined that there was something else they had in common, but that was about to change. They had both been lonely; cast out from the world, even their own people, with no one to turn to. But those days were officially over.

The newest thing that they had in common, was that they had found someone to latch onto. They had each gained a new family today. They wouldn't cry themselves to sleep anymore; they'd spend their nights fighting sleep to laugh at a few more of the other's jokes. They wouldn't go hungry anymore; they each had someone to help them get the food they needed. They wouldn't wonder why no one cared about them anymore; they each had someone who would always care. They wouldn't sit in a cold cave or den while it stormed outside, scared of the sound of the thunder and the flash of the lightning; they would rejoice in the sound of the rain, knowing it meant a chance to go out and wrestle in the mud. There were a million things that changed for them that day, but the most important one was that they would never be lonely again, because they weren't alone anymore.

After the talks of likes and dislikes were over, and they had really seen how much they were like each other, Kuro said, "Ya know, it's kinda like we're brothers."

A few weeks later, he repeated those words, but the next time, Yoko didn't respond with the child's laughter as he had that day. The next time he would say: "Nope. We're _closer_ than brothers. Brothers are stuck with each other cuz they have the same mom. _We're_ together cuz we _wanna_ be."

The girls crawled out of Yoko's bed and got dressed, careful not to disturb him. They also thought it best not to tell that such a ruthless man had such a sweet smile on his face when he slept. They left, each exchanging a few 'that was so cute' giggles on the other side of the door, then had to stifle laughter when they saw the bat demon laying in the hallway, still wearing not much more than a stupid grin. They tiptoed over him and went downstairs.

Yoko laid in the bed for a few minutes when he woke up. He was still thinking about the dream. The day he met his 'brother'. The way they each had the things the other needed. They were still like that in a way. Yoko was a child genius, too smart for even his own kind. He had a little courage, but not nearly as much as he did now. Kuronue had been bright for his age, but mostly, he was one big ball of guts. Nothing scared him. Putting Yoko's wisdom with Kuronue courage had been a lot like combining an open flame with an open gas valve.

When the two got together, it was kinda like that day; when they shared what they had and both came out on top. Kuronue taught Yoko to fear nothing, and Yoko taught Kuronue all about 'smarts' as he used to say. They had learned everything else together, and shared the knowledge and skills they had with each other. Between the two of them, there was nothing they couldn't do.

He smiled the biggest smile he had in years, except for last night of course, and tried to sit up. His first attempt left him falling right back down to his pillow and bringing both hands to his ribs. He'd had them broke and they hadn't ached as bad as they did from the laughing last night. The only time he remembered them being this sore was when Kuronue had gotten a hold of a bad batch of ginger ale and spent three days with the hiccups. He tried again, and made it up, but as soon as he swung his legs over the side of the bed, he leaned in over his knees and laughed some more, despite how bad his ribs begged him not to.

He finally dressed and made it to the hall, and clapped a hand to his forehead as soon as he saw what was there. About that time Ko's door swung open, and he just looked at Yoko, then to the floor, then back to Yoko. He shook his head, and started laughing again. This laugh was much milder than it had been last night, and Yoko heard him moan in pain as he did it. At least he wasn't the only one with aching ribs this morning.

Ko stepped over Kuronue and walked down the stairs and Yoko knew he heard him say, "Never again..."

Yomi's door swung open, and Yoko heard a faint groan when he saw what was on the path leading to the stairs. "I thought I'd seen it all..." he muttered as he briskly tromped down the hall and hopped the body laying in it. His face was already nearly the color of the rose in the fox's hair.

Yoko snickered a little, knowing the others couldn't hear him, and stepped back into his room and into the small bathroom. He snatched a towel off the rack, and dropped it on his crazy friend's midsection, hoping it would fall where it was intended to. There was no way he was taking an extended amount of time to aim it, nor would he adjust it if it didn't land on the designated area. He then headed over to The Loft, already knowing breakfast was out of the question. There was no way he could eat with that image in his head, and he had an idea that Ko had been planning to go the same way. If he was there, he'd be cracking jokes about this one and the red fox would likely cause the silver one to choke on an egg from taking a bite just as he reached the punchline.

He was right about Ko. He found him exactly where he thought he would. On a stool in The Loft, which was mostly empty this time of day. Only a few men, up to get a breakfast in before they started their long trips to who knows where.

As soon as Yoko sat at the bar, Ko looked at him. He looked back, tried to force a poker face and an attitude filled "What?" but it didn't work. They locked eyes for a second, and then both were sputtering, then guffawing again. It went that way for a long time; every time they looked in the other's direction they were at it. Finally they managed to calm down and hold a conversation, but their eyes seemed to agree on something. Kuronue would never live this one down. They would never forget last night. Though parts of it may fade – and they hoped those were the parts that should have been concealed – they would always remember it. And Kuronue was going to remember it, too. Even if he didn't remember it for himself, they were going to make sure and remind him as often as they could...

It wasn't long until he came down. He was finally clothed, and that drunken grin had hit the road. He looked like a man who had parted with the likes of the living years ago and someone had forgotten to tell him.

"Mornin', sunshine," Ko said, grinning wide.

"Ughhnnnunnn," was all Kuronue could manage, then he added, "Uuunn... beer... and hairathedog..." Ko pulled out that flask again, and Kuronue remembered how to talk. "Get that devil-drink away from me!"

Both foxes were laughing again, holding their ribs all the while. Yomi came in and sat at a table in the corner, still blushing wildly.

"You remember last night?" Ko asked.

"I remember that damned flask," Kuronue said, rubbing his temples.

"Where did you wake up, Kuro?" Yoko asked, smiling wide.

"I don't wanna know," the bat said, getting the foxes going again.

They relayed the whole story to him. The bat laughed with them, as Yoko had expected him to do. There was a reason nothing scared him; he was buck-wild. He never blushed once through the whole story, though Yoko and Ko did a time or two while telling it.

Kuronue _knew _he'd never hear the end of this.

They left the guild after the hangovers subsided to the level of a minor annoyance instead of the throbbing they'd been. Yoko's had felt like a freight train was in his head, and he was sure that Kuronue must have had the railway station in his. But, that was the great thing about their occupation. Wild nights were practically expected of men in their line of work.

"Well, you've run amok, scared a few girls, imbibed more than is healthy, quite possibly given Yomi a complex and flashed your 'family jewels' all over a den of thieves, in addition to being hailed as one of their _heroes _for taking out the most feared group of bounty hunters this side of reality has to offer. Anything to say for yourself?" Yoko teased as they walked along the south-bound trail.

Kuronue grinned the best he could and said, "I love bein' a bad guy."

* * *

**Pleeeease give this one a review! It might be my favorite so far! And for the record, this is not where Yoko and Yomi teamed up. This is just where they met. I'm planning a Yomi-centered fic later, when I get through with the million others on my plate... REVIEW! I GAVE YOU CHIBI BANDITS AND NAKED BAT DEMONS! AND _TWICE _THE FOXES! WHAT MORE COULD YOU WANT? LOL**


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